The Belgian Moroccan was sentenced to eight years in prison by the Belgian courts in 2015 for terrorism-related offences. In 2012, he left Belgium to join the jihadist Al-Nusra front in Syria, a group linked to Islamic State. He spent seven years in prison and then spent another year under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor.
He was released around 2023 after serving his full sentence. Due to his past as a jihadist and the persistent risk of radicalization, he remains under international surveillance by security services.
On December 15, Soufiane A. (32) was stopped by customs officers at the Keur Ayib border post, a busy passage between Senegal and Gambia.
Holiday?
After a tip, the Senegalese security services wanted more clarity about the circumstances of his journey, especially since he was intercepted upon arrival from Gambia. During his interrogation, Soufiane stated that he was on holiday with his wife, S. Kébé, staying in Ouakam, a district of the capital Dakar.
He maintains that he was visiting family and made a trip to Gambia in between, but investigators encountered several uncertainties. For example, Soufiane entered Senegal on December 4, but he would not have entered Gambia via the official Keur Ayib border crossing. According to his own statement, he left from Marsassoum and crossed by boat to Ziguinchor with his wife.
The Senegalese authorities have now launched an investigation to reconstruct his exact movements on Senegalese territory.
Bron: Senego, Libération